Timer



A. W. HO'LWAY.

TIMER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. IB. I9I9.

1 ,357,455. Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

n VE' UNITED STATES ARTHUR W. HOLWAY, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TIMER.

Application led February 18, 1919.

To all whom t 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. HoLwAY, a citizen of the United States residingat Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Timers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to such mechanisms as timers and distributers and it has particularly to do with improvements in a certain general type of timer mechanism; the object of the invention being to facilitate replacement of worn parts in a timer of the type described.

n the timer vmechanism used on the Ford automobile, a relatively stationary shell carries on its interior an insulating ring in which the four timer contacts are carried. Each of these timer contacts has al stud which extends radially outwardly through the insulating ring and through the shell,

with a binding post on the outer end of the stud. The interior face of the insulating ring and of the timer contact is traveled over by a rotating roller contact. This inner periphery wears away very fast so that it is necessary to renew the contacts fairly often. In renewing these contacts it is either necessary to take them out of the shell and out of their setting in the insulating ring by forcing them inwardly, and then place a new set of contacts and finish the inner surfaces of the new set down Hush and truly circular with the innerfperiphery of the insulating ring; or it is necessary to renew the entire shell-ring-and-contacty assembly. This latter procedure is what is done in a great many cases. This of course causes the waste of a shell every time a renewal is made. The first mentioned method of renewal necessitates a machine operation on the inner eriphery of the new contact in order to obtain a true circular surface over which the rotating roller contact may run.

I obviate these diiliculties by providing an arrangement whereby the contacts and the insulating ring may be easily removed from the shell and then a new insulating ring with contacts properly set therein may be substituted. The insulating ring itself is comparatively inexpensive. The features of my invention will be best understood from the following description in which reference Specification of Letters Patent.

lcase of an engine.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 277,822.

is had to the accompanying drawings in whichb igure l is a longitudinal section showing my improved timer mechanism; Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken as indicated by line 2 2 on Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken as indicated by line 3 on Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view taken as indicated by line 4&4 on Fig. 1.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates the member or machine part which forms the supporting part or base of the timer. This may, in the usual arrangement, be the crank A timer shaft 11 is j ournaled in member 10 in any suitable manner. And this timer shaft carries on its outer end a rotating arm 12 to the end of which is pivoted at 13 a roller carrying arm 14. Contact roller l5 is carried on the end of arm 14; and this arm 14 has an extension 14a on the opposite side of pivot 13 to which a spring 16 is connected, the purpose of the spring being to keep the roller 15 out against the inner periphery 17 of the insulating ring 18 and of the timer contacts 19 which are here shown as four in number. It will of course be understood that my invention is not limited to a timer with four contacts; and further that my invention is not limited to the specific mechanism or arrangement which is herein described; the invention applying broadly to any timer of the general character or class herein described. Insulating ring 18 is mounted in the shell 2O by being pressed into the shell to the position shown. Each one of the contacts 19 has a radial stud 21 permanently affixed or connected to the contact and ex tending radially outwardly through the insulating ring and through the shell and having on its outer end a binding post 22. Suitable insulation is provided at 23 to insulate the studs and binding posts from the shell. Now in the ordinary kind of construction the elements which I have herein described are used in the combination described; but the studs 21 project through apertures 35 in the shell 20; and if it is desired to place new contacts 19 and a new insulating ring inthe shell it is necessary to drive the contacts vand studs inwardly and remove them from the insulating ring and then remove the insulating ring from the shell. Then it is necessary to put in the new insulating ring and then insert the contacts from the inside. In other words, such a replacement requires the assembly of the contacts on the insulating ring; and when this is done it is then always necessary to put the whole device in a lathe and finish oil the inner periphery 17 of the insulating ring and of the contacts, in order to obtain a true and circular surface. It this is not done, the roller 13 will immediately begin to cause uneven wear on the contacts and insulating ring and the timer thus very soon becomes inoperative.

Now I provide the shell 2O with a set oi slots 30 leading vfrom the stud holes 35 to the edge of shell 20. These slots provide that the insulating ring and contact assembly may be bodily removed from the shell and a new one placed in the shell byend-` wise movement and without necessitating the disassembling of the contacts and insulating rings. lt is unnecessary that the insulating ring lit the shell any more tightly than an'ordinary easy pressicit, so that it can be comparatively easily removed end# wise. Then, in order to Yprevent yentry of dirtor moisture to the interior of the timer shell, I provide at 31' a band of spring metal, preferably thin spring steel, which may be easily sprung into place in the position shown, covering the slots and holding itself in place by outward expansion against the inner surface of the shell. rlhis band 31 is wide enough to extend from the base member 10 to the insulating ring` 18, thus covering all those portions of the slots which are not covered by the insulating ring itself.

Vlt'will Vbe noted that the apertures 35 areVV conicalV and Vthe insulating washers 23. are

Vcorrespondingly conical. The width of slots 30 is the saine as the bottom diameter of the conical hole (see Fig. a). When the conical washers 23 are in place and held down by nuts 36 it will beseen that they hold the ring 18 and its contacts 19 against lateral displacement because the conical washers cannot move out through the slots 30. But when nuts'36l are loosened and the washers raised,

then'the ring and contacts may be easily reV moved becausethe slots are wide enough to pass'the'studs 21.

v Now it will be seen that my invention not only provides for easy substitution and replacement oi' worn parts, but it will be seen that my improvement may be very easily applied to any standard timer mechanism of the character described. 1t is only necessary to cut the slots 30 from the edge of the shell down to the holes which pass` the' studs 2l. After this is once done then subsequent replacements of the contactsare eas- Y ily made without the necessity VVof throwing `away the shell.V For replacements, the assembled insulating ring and contacts are provided, and these of course have the proper circular and true inner periphery.

ringV and contact.

The assembled ring and contacts may be easily placed in the shell without at all disturbing the proper surface alinement of the rlhus my invention saves the waste of the shell 20, or it saves the necessity ot a machining operation; and in ably use a material that may be cast, formed or pressed into true shape, with the contacts therein, at Va single operation. For instance, l may use suitable paper pulp or similar material, and l may press this material into true shape and set the contacts in it at the same time bythepressing operation; thus obviating any subsequent machine work, the

article as formed being in a finished state.l The same will be'true ofany suitable mate-j rial which may be cast or otherwiseformed. The contacts are better held in place in such a construction becausethey and Vtheir studs (which are screw threaded) are gripped by the formed material.

Having described a preferredform of my which comprises a shell, an insulating ring liitted in the shell and alplurality `of contacts iitted into said insulating ring and having studs connected therewith which extend ra-V dially outwardly 'throughthe shell, the shell having one end'open; characterized by the shell having longitudinal slots extending from said studs to its edge at its openl end so that the assembled insulating ring and contacts with their studs may be removed bodily from the shell by endwise movement.

2. A device of the "character described which comprises a shell, an insulating ring fitted in theV shell and a plurality of contacts fittedk into said insulating ring and having studs connected therewith which extend radially outwardlythrough the shell, the shell having one end open; characterized by the shell having longitudinal slots extending from said studs to its edge at its open end so that Vthe assembled insulating ring and contacts with their studsfmay be removed bodily from the shellby endwiselmovement; and a ring for excluding dust and other yforeign matter embodying a strip of thin spring metal placed inside the edge portion of the l described V dially outwardly through the shell, the shell having one end open; characterized by the shell having longitudinal slots extending from the stud holes in the shell to the edge of the shell so that the assembled insulating ring and contacts with their studs may be removed bodily from the shell by endwise movement, the slots being not as Wide as the stud holes, a Washer around each stud iitting the stud hole and a nut on the stud holding the Washer in place, the Washer being larger than the slot Width and the stud smaller than the same, so that When the Washer is removed the stud may be passed through the slot; and a ring for excluding dust and other foreign matter embodying a strip of thin spring metal placed inside the edge portion of the shell and of a Width equal to the distance between the edge of the shell and the adjacent edge of the insulating ring.

4. A device of the character described which comprises a shell, an insulating ring fitted in the shell and a plurality of contacts fitted into said insulating ring and having studs connected therewith which extend radially outwardly through the shell, the shell having one end open; characterized by the shell having longitudinal slots extending from the stud holes in the shell to the edge of the shell so that the assembled insulating ring and contacts with their studs may be removed bodily from the shell by endwise movement, the slots being not as Wide as the stud holes, a Washer around each stud fitting the stud hole and a nut on the stud holding the Washer in place, the Washer being larger than the slot Width and the stud smaller than the same, so that When the Washer is removed the stud may be passed through the slot.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 8th day of February, 1919.

ARTHUR W. HoLWAYQ Witness V. B ERINGER. 

